We Can Be One
by TheFlyboy44
Summary: Zira wants to give her children a better life. So now she's considering handing them over to King Simba and the royal family through a day at the water park. But will Simba approve of this? NOTE: Characters in this story are anthro. Contains: SimbaXNala, KovuXKiara, KopaXVitani


**This Lion King story is based on a Lion King fanfiction by Machungwa63.**

**He was kind enough to let me write my own version of it, so thanks a lot!**

**I do not claim rights to anything in this story. **

**The Lion King and all associated characters are copyrighted to Walt Disney Pictures. **

**ENJOY!**

**Chapter One**

A battered and beaten Buick hearse turned onto a bridge that led over a dirty creek. Once across, it was now in a run-down neighborhood on the edge of a large city. The neighborhood was a low-rent district generally referred to as The Outlands; simply a collection of ramshackle houses and dusty roads. It wasn't long before the car stopped and backed into an arch garage beside a small shabby house. The engine was cut, and out stepped a disgruntled lioness. Her name was Zira; and she had just had an excruciatingly frustrating day. She gazed out towards the city; which could be seen clearly against the sky since the sun was going down behind it. It was Prideland City; peaceful, prosperous, and home of the royal family. "Argh!" groaned Zira as she slammed the door of her car and walked around to the front porch to go inside. She fiddled around in her pockets for a moment, pulled out the house key, and opened the door. Once she was inside, she took one last look at the city silhouetted against the red and orange sky. Then she shut the door, and slumped back against it with a huge sigh.

"Anyone here?" Zira called out. "I'm here!" came a voice. A moment later, Zira's eldest son, Nuka came into the front room, "Welcome back, Mother; how was your day?" "Not as good as I would have liked it," said Zira as she placed her coat on the coat rack and moved into the front room, "For starters, that idiot at the filling station didn't fill the tires properly, so I had to fill them myself. My co-workers at the fast-food road are dumb as ever, and to top it off… I'm still being charged extra just to use the bank!" Nuka winced a bit on that last sentence. Zira finally collapsed in her recliner and suddenly became very sad. "I don't know how much longer I can go on like this, Nuka." she said, looking at the celling, "You, Vitani, and Kovu deserve better than this!" "I don't mind it, Mother," said Nuka as he sat down on the rug, "Besides, it's not entirely your fault…" "Thank you, Nuka," said Zira, "But let's try to face it, I knew I couldn't give Vitani much when I had her, and when Kovu arrived, well… ever since then I've worked the best I can to ensure they could lead decent lives; but I don't think I'll be able to hold on like that much longer." She looked around for a moment, then asked, "Speaking of Vitani and Kovu… where are they?" "Oh they went to bed early," said Nuka, "Really tired themselves out playing streetball." "I can understand that…" said Zira, "But how am I going to give them and you decent lives in these conditions?" Neither of them said anything for a minute or two, then Nuka said, "You know… you could always put them in a foster home. From what I've read in the newspapers, the conditions of the foster homes in this town are mansions compared to the low-rent district." Zira didn't' say anything for a moment. Then she got up from her chair and walked over to the window. "Well…" she said, "If it means giving my children a better life… I suppose I'll have to do it." Then she turned around to face Nuka, "But where do I leave them?" she asked. "I know!" said Nuka as he stood up, "You could let Vitani and Kovu live with King Simba!" In an instant, Zira was in the middle of the room grasping Nuka by the front of his shirt. "WHAT?" she said angrily, "Hand my children over to him? I'd sooner cut off my tail!" "But think about it!" Nuka protested, "They'll be livin' on easy street! You'll never have to worry about them having a decent life again! Besides! They're already friends with the royal children!" "Huh?" asked Zira as she released Nuka's shirt and let him drop to the ground. "Vitani and Kovu… friends with Simba and Nala's cubs?" "Yeah!" said Nuka as he picked himself up. "They've been friends ever since third grade and they made me promise them not to tell you out of fear of separation. Kovu says Kiara's kinda cute, and Vitani… heh… She totally has the hots for Kopa. They've even come down here a few times to play streetball. I should know, I've played with 'em! And… I have to be honest, they're pretty nice, I like 'em a lot…" Zira stood dead still. She had had no idea that her children had been mingling with the offspring of her mortal enemy. Normally she would have been absolutely furious, but for some reason, she was finding it hard to be. As ironic as it would be, suddenly handing Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu over to Simba and his family didn't seem like such a bad idea. "Do you… Do you think Simba will understand?" asked Zira. "I think so." said Nuka, "From what I understand, His wife, Nala will most likely be for helping them get better lives and I'm sure Kiara and Kopa will love to have their best friends living with them." Zira paced a moment, then said, "Nuka… as sickening as it seemed before… I think you've got the right idea. I think Vitani and Kovu would be very happy if allowed to live with their best friends without fear of separation." "Great!" said Nuka, "So how do we let them know?" "Well," said Zira, "I don't think we can just waltz up to the mansion and say we want them to take two more in. We need some sort of meeting out somewhere to make this work." Then she turned to her son and said, "Nuka… can you go to Simba and Nala's mansion to see if they have any plans for tomorrow?" "Consider it done, Mother!" said Nuka. He then left the room, dashed out the side door and found his motorbike. He pulled his helmet on, hopped on, and kicked the engine into life. After walking the bike to the street, Nuka twisted the throttle and roared off out of The Outlands heading for the royal mansion.

The sun was completely down when Nuka reached the gates of the royal mansion. This gave him the cover of darkness he hoped for. He hid his motorbike in some shrubs and began walking around the enormous wall that surrounded the place looking for an opening. Eventually he found what he was looking for, a low section that he could climb over. With a great deal of difficulty, Nuka managed to scale the wall and drop down into the backyard. He looked up at the giant mansion and gave a little bit of a shudder; he didn't want to be caught trespassing in the property of the royal family. He made the dash towards the building and put his back up against the wall in hopes that he could hide from security. Suddenly, from above him, he heard voices…

"Oh Simba!" laughed Nala, "You are just so wonderful!" "Yeah!" said Simba, "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces tomorrow when they find out where we're gonna spend the whole day." The lion king was standing in the doorway with four brightly colored tickets in his hand. His queen was standing just across the room, and she had been astonished when she heard what he had planned for the next day. "The start of summer…" said Nala, "and what better way to spend it than staying cool with a day at the waterpark?" "I certainly can't think of a better way!" said Simba jokingly. With that, he came up behind Nala and gave her a hug. "Simba!" said Nala. "What?" asked Simba, "It's not like Kiara and Kopa can hear us." "You're right!" said Nala as she lead him over to the sofa, "Wanna… snuggle a bit before bedtime?" "Why not…?" asked Simba as he lay down next to her. After a moment's pause, he said, "Just think… a whole day at the waterpark… just like when we were cubs…" "I know…" said Nala, "I'm sure they'll love it."

Nuka had heard enough; Simba and Nala were taking Kiara and Kopa to the waterpark tomorrow, and that was the perfect opportunity for them to make a little exchange. Unwilling to push his luck anymore, he took off heading for the wall. He climbed back over the wall and headed around to where he had hidden his motorbike. He mounted the bike, put on his helmet, started the engine, and headed down the driveway to the road. Rather than take the roads back to The Outlands, Nuka decided to off-road it! It would cut the traveling distance in half, and besides, it was fun! After ten minutes, he was home. He parked his bike next to his mother's hearse and went inside. Zira was at the kitchen table, looking through a shoebox that was her secret rainy day fund. "Mother…" said Nuka, "I've got a bead on them." "What is it?" asked Zira. "They're going to the waterpark tomorrow," Nuka answered, "I overheard Simba and Nala themselves talking about it." "Okay…" said Zira. With that, she began rooting through her shoebox. "Let's see…" she muttered, "If tickets are… twenty dollars… times four is… eighty… then…" she began fiddling with money, "Sixty… Eighty… One hundred… Hundred twenty… Hundred forty… Hundred sixty." She then looked up at Nuka and said, "Looks like we've got enough for a day at the waterpark." "Great!" said Nuka. Zira sighed and said, "You do realize, Nuka that this is by no means easy for me." "Because you hate Simba's guts?" asked Nuka. "No…" Zira said with another sigh, "I'm giving up my children… _my_ babies. I guess that's really the hardest part about it. But… deep in my heart I know that this is what's best for them." "Don't worry, Mother," said Nuka as he put his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure they'll be just fine." "Thank you… my son…" said Zira as she pulled Nuka into a hug. As Nuka tried to comfort his mother, Zira shed a big tear that ran down her cheek and down her neck into her shirt.

Unbeknownst to Zira and Nuka, Kovu and Vitani had actually been listening at the top of the stairs. Nuka's motorbike had woken them up and they had crept out of their bedroom to find out what was going on. "I don't believe it…" said Vitani, "Mother's going to let us go live with Kiara and Kopa." "But why?" asked Kovu. "Shhhh!" said Vitani, "We don't want Mother to know we're eavesdropping on her. Remember what happened last time?" Kovu shuddered; he didn't even want to remember last time. So the two cubs crept back to their bedroom. "Why would Mother suddenly give us away to King Simba?" asked Kovu as he climbed into bed. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow," said Vitani as she climbed in next to him, "But remember, no matter what… we have to pretend to be surprised tomorrow." "Okay," said Kovu. Then he smiled and said, "I'm actually looking forward to the idea of going to live with Kiara and Kopa." "I know what you mean." said Vitani, "I've always wondered what it would be like to live in the lap of luxury." "You realize that can't be our only reason to be happy, right?" asked Kovu, "Mother says she's doing this to give us a better life and to make us happy." "Yeah… I know…" Vitani answered, "And I'm very grateful to her for that." "Great…" said Kovu, "G'night, Sis…" "G'night, Kovu…" Vitani replied. And with that, the two were soon back asleep.

**So both families are off to the waterpark tomorrow!**

**What kind of day will unfold? And can Simba and Zira really talk to each other without fighting?**

**Answers Incoming! In Chapter 2!**


End file.
